Controversial Topic: Can Eggmorphing and Queenmorphing and Royal Facehuggers coexist?

The SIMPLE SOLUTION.... was kind of Indicated in Alien Engineers Draft.

The Derelict/Juggernaught has 8 Cargo Holds and EACH had a Variant of the Xenomorph, and so they could have USED this for the Differences between the Xenomorph in ALIENS and the Drone/Runner from ALIEN/ALIEN 3 as they could have came from TWO DIFFERENT places on the SHIP.

Another SOLUTION would be to have it that the EGG MORPH is what would Create a Egg Laying Queen.

I kind of liked my idea a little better since I feel egg morphing can be used build a start up hive when a queen is absence.

Also I dislike the idea that the xenomorphs from Alien/Alien 3 are different from Aliens due to the fact the Alien 3 xenomorph/Runner was born from the Aliens variant and not from an Alien variant

I was looking at how the Runner and Drone have the same kind of Head Carapace as the Xenomorph in Alien Covenant compared to that of ALIENS.  And so was Suggesting maybe thats because they came from Different Cargo Holds (the Runner/Drone are different most likely due to the HOST).

I think withe Queen and her Creation i am NOT that sure as to HOW this came about, i am sure some Comics have Answered this but i have NOT read all the Comics (Far from it).

Kane was infected with a Drone.... we NEVER got to see HOW it Procreated apart from the DC Version which added the Egg Morph.

With Hadleys Hope then Russ Jorden became the First to be Infected but we do-not know as to HOW this Lead to the Outbreak/Infestation...  I can ONLY go and Assume maybe more People went to Investigate the Derelict and became Infected... or the Xenomorph that was Birthed from Russ would Escape with some Colonist and either TAKE them to the Derelict or would Perform Egg Morphs.

And at some Point a Queen would arise..... I know some Comics had Invented the Royal Jelly Concept which just Borrows from Certain Bees.  And with ALIEN 3 Deleted Scenes we saw a Dead Royal Face Hugger.  But i still think that IF the Egg Morph can make a Queen/Royal Face Hugger then it makes Sense.

But you could have it where they can Egg Morph other Varieties of Xenomorph too.

Well James Cameron implied the ridged head warriors are the next stage to the xenomorph lifecycle after the smooth head drone-stage

"Hadleys Hope"

This is the thing. Just how much longer would the queen and her drones survive AFTER all the fresh meat ( colonist and marines ) were used? A couple of years of just standing around staring at each other?

What's the point of laying eggs if the drones can't find hosts?

Are they smart enough to seek a way off the lifeless rock?

It's little wonder that Weyland / Yutani have a hard time finding the xeno! The xenomorphs way of reproduction is lacking. They are more pests than a planetary threat.

"Well James Cameron implied"

I was going to Mention that ;) as that YES this could work, so the Xenomorph will Loose the Clear/Dome Carapace....   that is WHAT he used as a Excuse, as they had TROUBLE with their Xenomorphs as they was Intended to be the Same but the Clear Part just kept Breaking/Falling Off etc and was to Fragile for the Action Scenes so they GOT RID of them.

so they could have it that the Xenomorph Life Cycle after Days  they would Develop to look more like in ALIENS, and they could also have some EVOLVE into other Xenomorphs.........  The Comics and Games to a Extent have done this, but we have NOT seen it in the Movies but this DOES-NOT mean its Not Possible and CANT be Explored in the Future.

@MonsterZero

Indeed  the Xenomorph are DOOMED their Reliance on a HOST makes them Flawed its their Downfall....

If they get to a World with Plenty of Hosts like Earth they may be fine... on a World that is VOID of Life apart from a Colony/Outpost then Once those Hosts are Turned into Xenomorphs it becomes a Question of HOW-LONG can they Live?

If the Xenomorph is MERELY a Engineered Weapon be it by David or the Engineers, then this Reliance on a Host does make it more Viable as a Weapon, as you could WIPE OUT the Inhabitants with the Xenomorph and then they DIE and well you can go and Collect any Eggs that remain.

If you was going to RUN with the idea that JC has which is the Xenomorph its its OWN like Hive-Mentality Species that the Space Jockey merely came across.. Then you are LIMITED.... Unless you Uplift the Xenomorph to being more Intelligent in that they would NOT go and USE all the Hosts... they would ALLOW some to Survive to Repopulate or even Capture and Breed the Hosts.

IF they had gone for what JC would have done for ALIEN 3 then the Home-world must have enough Resources/Hosts to allow them to Continue to Populate, otherwise your left with the QUESTION of HOW-LONG does a Xenomorph Live for?

Because that Determines if you just Discover a World with just EGGS.

I know RS had Envisioned the Xenomorph as having a SHORT LIFE SPAN.. but RS like Vision even back in the 80's was the Xenomorph was a Engineered Weapon.  However he also wanted to have it become more INTELLIGENT.

IF its a Biological Warfare... then ONCE the Hosts have all be Turned it will DIE-OUT eventually, the same goes with say COVID19 if the Entire Population of Humans was to DIE then UNLESS the Virus Jumps and Maintains to Spread in other Species then the Virus would DIE-OUT

So are we not going to discuss Queenmorphing? Its an expanded universe concept of a regular common variety xenomorph gradually molting into a praetorian before further molting into the queen caste

"WIPE OUT the Inhabitants with the Xenomorph and then they DIE .."

Okay, that makes sense. Wait a couple of years and move in without having to worry about xenomorphs.

I think this is the way they should go.

I think eggmorphing is so much cooler....So much more Alieny. Bizzare.

The queen system is very natural and Earthlike. It's how you would expect animals/bugs to reproduce.

I think they should get along just fine.

Whatever fits the story.

@MonsterZero
I don't know, Eggmorphing sounds very insectoid too me so I don't see why people don't have a problem with it but have beef with the equally insectoid queen?

Also Eggmorphing as a main method for reproduction is inefficient compared to the Queen

What if Eggmorphing is more than a reproduction device? That it also assimilates the knowledge of the victim?

Instead of creating just a face-hugger,  the core of the pod holds the neurons of its victim. These pods remain networked with other pods linked to a giant hive brain that creates a telepathic field. This field attracts more victims and creates a larger network and strengthens the field.

This networked Giant Brain Mass works out the weaknesses of the victim's homeworld. Creating species hybrids to help with the process.

Rewrite ALIENS to use Eggmorphing and not the queen:

Ripley finds the colonist of Hadleys hope tied together in various eggmorphing stages. Bishop notes their heads are tied together with strands of biomass...these strands lead to a large empty chrysalis!

She calls Gorman to warn him that they may have bigger problems! 

MonsterZero

....sigh. The point of this article was the coexistence of Eggmorphing with Queen, not replace the Queen with Eggmorphing.

Also even if the Eggmorphed bodies were part of neural network it still would be inefficient then a Queen; since the Queen is far less vulnerable then a stationary pod of neurons that requires constant protection.

"Queenmorphing"

I think this is something that could be Explored i think MOST things should be OPEN to Debate and could be Explored if we ever see another ALIEN Movie.  If we can ACCEPT the Xenomorph is a True Survivor then having a Species that has MANY ways it can Procreate would make it a Exceptional Survivor.... but with the SINGLE FLAW that it requires a Host.

The Queen may seem more Ideal as a MASS METHOD of Procreation, Certainly if it is a HIVE SPECIES like a Bee, Ant, Wasp or Termite then Producing Hundreds or Thousands of Eggs makes sense.  Should the Queen be Killed or Die, then we would have to LOOK at HOW you can get another Queen and IF we look at the Xenomorph as a Species that can come up with Multiple avenues to a Egg Laying Variant then that  would make it as i said a Exceptional Survivor.

Egg Morphing may seem more Limited but its actually NOT, as it would ACT more like how a Virus would.... even if we take the Zombie Apocalypse Movies where a Bite from a Zombie will eventually TURN you into  a Zombie.

A Egg Morphing Species of Xenomorphs would START OFF being SLOWER way to Procreate, but a Xeno say Eggs Morphs a Person... when we get TWO who can then Egg Morph and they Infect then Egg Morph like Two Each you have 4, between the 6 they then Amass another 20 Egg Morphs and so and so ON.

This Method would allow the Xenomorph Menace to Spread Wide and Once the Ball is Rolling it will INFECT more Places..

When looking at ALIEN though this is NOT really shown, as you would have to ASK as to WHY has the Xenomorph also NOT gone and Captured Lambert and Parker?  It would then Obtain either....  4 Eggs, or 2 Eggs and Two Hosts!

The Egg Morph scene makes more SENSE... if this Egg Morph would Produce a Queen, this way then Dallas and Brett would be all that is NEEDED to then have a Egg Producing Queen who could lay 10's or Hundreds of Eggs on the Nostromo.

Camerons Concept does take too much from Nature and the Insect Kingdom, but when your left to Consider as to HOW do you get EGGS?  Well in the Real World they are LAID.....  But Ridley Scott also likes to take Influence from Nature and he FINDS that some Parasitic Organisms are Really Horrific in HOW they Procreate, such as Wasps and Beetles that will Implant their Eggs etc inside another Organism to Procreate...... this is Basically what the FACE HUGGER does.

For me.... IF the Xenomorph is the Perfect Survivalist then you should NOT be Limited to the ONE method of Procreation, and WHY CANT we have Multiple Avenues to get to a Egg Laying Variant (Queen).

With AVPR we saw the Pred-Alien which introduced another Method of Procreation, and THIS Method that Replaces the Face Hugger is the MOST EFFICIENT method of Procreation we have seen in the Franchise.

"For me.... IF the Xenomorph is the Perfect Survivalist then you should NOT be Limited to the ONE method of Procreation, and WHY CANT we have Multiple Avenues to get to a Egg Laying Variant (Queen)."

Yeah that is what I have been saying. I think the xenomorph should have multiple ways of reproduction, depending on the situation of coarse. 

"When looking at ALIEN though this is NOT really shown, as you would have to ASK as to WHY has the Xenomorph also NOT gone and Captured Lambert and Parker?  It would then Obtain either....  4 Eggs, or 2 Eggs and Two Hosts!"

The way I see it, I think the Kane's son/Big Chap was going to eggmorph Lambert and Parker but Parker attacked it causing the xenomorph to defend itself and with Parker dead it had no use for Lambert, so it killed her. This is speculation but that's what I think.


Also I like to think the senior member or alpha of the initial xenomorph outbreak as in the xenomorph doing the egg morphing gets the privilege to mature into a praetorian then a Queen instead of making themselves a queen

Thats a Interesting Point i have Overlooked and i do-not RECALL it being Mentioned before....

We do-not see Every Single Moment of Activity in ALIEN, so Quite a Bit occurs OFF-SCREEN.   So the Xenomorph looking to Egg Morph Lambert but its Interrupted by Parker who the Xenomorph then KILLS and then the Xeno is like "Darn It"  and "oh well No Point in Egg Morphing her Now"

Is a Possible Explanation......i think we can SAFELY ASSUME that the Xenomorph can-not Gestate in a Dead Host.  At least at the TIME of ALIEN and ALIENS.

But then it could have Egg Morphed Lambert still as a Egg that would be there for any Unsuspecting Host who would Board the Ship in Future.

I think when JC came along and Turned the Xenomorph into some kind of Hive Creature like a Ant, Bee, Wasp or Termite then it seems he THOUGHT this was a Preexisting Organism and NOT a Engineered Organism.

Then the Procreation is something he may have Consider to be Close to ONE of those Insect Species and INDEED this is WHAT some of the Comics had Explored (Royal Jelly).  Were as i always THOUGHT that you dont have to COPY say Nature in Every Aspect...... you can have something thats more ALIENY otherwise its ONLY the Aesthetic that makes it ALIEN.

I had before Considered as to HOW do we get to a Queen, and i thought maybe the Eggs that are AWAY from a HIVE/QUEEN would Produce the Semi-Clear Dome Versions of the Xenomorph (Drone/Runner).   And that this ORGANISM has ONE Agenda.... to Establish a Queen.

And so it could Egg Morph a Host to either Produce a Queen or a Royal Face Hugger, but it also could Egg Morph a Host to Produce a Traditional Xenomorph, which it may ATTEMPT to do this First so that there is a Large Enough Brood of them to Construct a Small Hive and then they can Egg Morph a Queen.  It would DEPEND on how the Drone/Runner would feel about the Environment and Threat to a Queens Survival.......

So on the Nostromo maybe the Xenomorph Felt there was NOT enough of a Threat and so IF a Queen was Born from Dallas then it could go and START to Lay Eggs.  But if the Xenomorph would FEEL that a Queen would NOT have a Safe Environment from Threats then it would First Attempt to Create more Drones to Protect the Eventual Queen and this would Depend on Preserved Threat/Environment.

Once a Small Hive is Established then they would Produce a Queen Egg (Egg Morph) and then ONCE the Queen is a ADULT and can Begin to LAY EGGS then she Produces Pheromones or something that would then within a Radius make all the Eggs Produce Warrior Xenomorphs.

Once a Queen has Established her Hive and Eggs then maybe the Drones will MOLT into Warriors?    Maybe a Face Hugger Embryo is also Affected by the Queens Pheromones etc.... so IF a Face Hugger would Infect a Host who is FAR from the Hive then maybe it would Produce a Drone to Establish another Colony of Xenomorphs?

That was my kind of THINKING about it all.....

I think that YES you could have it that a Drone will MOLT into a Warrior after so many Days, i think that YES you could have the Queen be able to Determine what kind of Egg she Lays so some will Produce a Drone, some a Warrior and some a Queen.

I know some (JC) see the Drone as just a Juvenile Phase of the Xenomorph like Troublesome Teenage Xenomorphs.   I think this could work because the Chest Buster in ALIENS did look close to that from ALIEN.

But you could come up with other ways they Procreate.... the Queen looks more like a Termite (Swollen Abdomen/Egg Sack Connection).  But if we made them a Carbon Copy then a Queen would NEED to MATE with a Male in order to Produce Eggs.

You have the ROYAL JELLY which in the Insect World is just a more Rich in Nutrients Diet that would cause the Larva to become a Queen.  But in Context to the Franchise i think to have a Drone be able to Egg Morph a Host in way that it can Genetically Produce either a Worker/Drone Egg or a Queen is what works Best.

BigDave

In addition to your post, I always thought of the xenomorphs are capable of ascending to higher caste depending on the situation (an idea I borrow from AVP2 video game) so for an example of a human spawned xenomorph's complete lifecycle using the EU's lore.

Ovomorph -> Facehugger + Human Host -> Chestburster -> Drone -> Warrior -> Alpha/Lead/Senior Warrior -> Preatorian -> Queen -> Empress -> Queen Mother

As for who becomes Queen first, I always feel the Xenomorph doing the eggmorphing first is kind of in a leading position due to seniority, so naturally I think it should be the one to elevated itself into a higher caste.

I think that when it comes down to the Xenomorph and Procreation then anything can be Possible if we are looking a Surviving Species that can Adapt/Evolve at a Rapid Pace.

When it comes down to Variants i think again this is Possible because we have to look at the Xenomorph as ONE of the Following.

1) A Engineered Organism, that can be Engineered/Re-Engineered to Produce Variants inc Procreation.

2) A Engineered Organism, that gains the Ability to Evolve to Produce Variants inc Procreation.

3) A Ancient Organism that has the Ability to Evolve to Produce Variants inc Procreation.

4) A Ancient Organism that that can be Re-Engineered to Produce Variants inc Procreation.

I think with the Comics and Video Games you have things Introduced because they LOOK COOL.... i think sometimes you have to maybe look at WHY and at Simplicity.  But to NOT go and Overlook/Contradict what we had seen in the Franchise, which maybe we also have to include the Prequels.

The Egg Morph was the ORIGINAL Concept.... as it was NEVER SHOWN apart from the Directors Cut then this allowed James Cameron to introduce a Egg Laying Queen.  

We as far as Theatrical have NEVER seen HOW the Queen could come to be, the Deleted Scene from ALIEN 3 had shown a Royal Face Hugger but as with the Egg Morph as these were NOT shown they can be Dismissed.... UNLESS they are introduced or Explained.

Maybe the Xenomorphs Procreation (Eggs) should be LEFT to Mystery which includes on HOW we get to a Queen.

I think the Comic Books (some) have tried to TIE IT more to the Insect Kingdom, but i FEEL we are looking at a ALIEN ORGANISM (well something with ALIEN Origins).  The Egg Morphing is Very Alien, its more like a Virus in that it Changes a Hosts DNA.

I think we have to look at a Simple and YET say ALIEN way of looking at the Procreation, if the Xenomorph is the Perfect Survivor and Organism.  Some Hive Insect Species have to Procreate via a Male/Female where they Mate (Termites for Example), some can Procreate without Mating but it Requires to Mate to Obtain Sperm to then Select which Eggs the Queen wishes to Fertilize.  Some Species of Hive Insect the Queen is Created via HOW it is FED as a Larva.

But to me i would look at it as making it SIMPLE and i do-not Consider the Xenomorph to be Male/Female, and so for it to be more a Survivor and NOT to be Dependent on certain Aspects of Procreation, then i FEEL that the Xenomorph should have NO kind of Sexual Reproduction.... not in the Traditional Sense.

A Queen should be able to Produce Eggs without Needing to Mate (Parthenogenesis) i think we could look at the Queen being able to Genetically Modify the Eggs to Produce a Variant, or/and that Pheromones are USED to Prevent other Eggs becoming a Queen or Drone.

I just DONT think we should go the Route where we have Male Xenomorphs that Mate with the Queen..... i know Comics can introduce such thing for the sake of being COOL!  But i dont think its Necessary.  A Example is the Xenomorph King.... it looks COOL but then in Context to the Xenomorph we have to ask WHY?  as in WHY would there NEED to be a King if a Queen can do all the Egg Laying, and Drones can Egg Morph!

I have NOT looked into the KING CONCEPT, i have Spoken to someone who said they can MATE with a Queen to make Superior Xenomorphs... but i think its NOT something thats Necessary.

I dont think Xenomorphs should HAVE SEX... i dont think its Needed.... but then Indications are that the Xenomorph was Sexually Assaulting Lambert.  But i felt it was NOT needed... (maybe it can WORK if we Accept David as the Creator as he is Frustrated he cant Procreate as he lacks what MALES have).

But i think that Sexual Assault should be in a Different Way.... as in the Xenomorphs method of Procreation means a HOST will have to Gestate and become MOTHER so to Speak to the Xenomorph, so its kind of a Non-Consensual Pregnancy so to Speak..... the HOST is Raped by the Face Hugger.

And IF we do Explore the Egg Morph then again this is maybe Similar as a HOST is Attacked by a Xenomorph and Defiled so to Speak where it becomes a Egg.

When it comes down to the Praetorian i know this was another COOL Creation where you can have a Xenomorph that is a Cross Between a Queen Aesthetic and a Warrior.  With Praetorian being a Roman Body Guard.   I can see that the Xenomorph one was a Creation to give the Queen some Bodyguards but i dont see WHY as the Warrior Caste should be Good Enough.

I understand they are like a Final Stage of Evolution of some Xenomorphs where they MOLT to become Larger and they then REMAIN in the Hive to Guard the Queen, but i just DONT think its Necessary.

I think a Queen remains as LARGE as she is so SHE has some Physical Dominance over her Brood.... i think that other Larger Xenomorphs should come from Larger Hosts.

But this is just my Opinion, this does-not mean a Praetorian should NOT be something to Explore.  I just dont think its Necessary as a Guard as the Warriors should be Good enough for this Task.

However... a Praetorian as a Evolution of a Xenomorph or a Engineering of one is something that could be Interesting...

Especially if its from the Genetic Experiments by Engineers, or Humans or Synthetics. (or other Species).  A Tinkering with the Genetics of a Queen, that then Produces something like the Praetorian Aesthetic.

I would have this Creation/Evolution as something that could become a THREAT to the Queen rather than a Body Guard.   A Variant that takes the Procreation to a more Efficient Method.

By that something like what the Pred-Alien had done in AVPR, where it would go to a HOST and Directly Impregnate them with a Embryo (does not have to be Multiple like in AVPR).  You have a Smaller Procreating Xenomorph than the Queen a 10ft Variant, that ACTS as a Walking Face Hugger.

I think that IF they Explored the KING in this way, something that Infects a Host like a Face Hugger that can WORK..... but i would NOT have the KING being Larger than the Queen.... IF they introduced something like this then it should be 10-12ft Tall.

If instead of a Praetorian we had a like King or Prince lets say (which came about as a Evolution or Experiment) then MAYBE.... this could allow a Queen to the Modify its Eggs to Create a Larger Version (Praetorian) to Protect her from the Prince/King.

So what i am saying is is DONT think you NEED to have Male/Female Xenomorphs who MATE... no King lives with Queen.... any such Evolution/Experiment should become a Rivalry/Threat to a Queen.

I dont think you NEED to have 10ft Body Guards for the Queen unless  there is a Larger Threat to the Hive that Xenomorph Warriors can-not DEAL with.

But when it comes down to Comics, Games and Novels they are FREE to Explore what they wish, and if we get FUTURE like Movies or TV Shows that WISH to Expand and Explore what is Shown in the Comics... well i think that is something that Fans would have to Accept...

I think there will always be Different Views on the Xenomorph, and how to Expand/Explore it that Differ.... seems that RS and JC have differences in HOW they would Explore/Expand it.... and it REALLY does Depend on HOW it is that DISNEY would Choose to Expand or NOT on the Species.

I don't recall bring up the xenomorph's gender, I always assumed they were asexuals. Not hermphrodites but asexuals.

I always thought of the Praetorian as a back up Queen, especially in hives that have multiple queens.

Also Praetorians according to the games have a higher resistance to bullets then the warriors and drones.

"I don't recall bring up the xenomorph's gender"

Yeah i was on about in General ;) i never implied you had Mentioned they have Sexes etc ;)

I was just referring to HOW you (THEY) could Explore the Procreation and that IF they try and COPY the Insect World too much like Mating or Fertilizing etc, i dont think this would be the RIGHT way to go.  I think you have to look at the Xenomorph as NOT having any SEX (Asexual) and can Procreate via some kind of Parthenogenesis

I see the Xenomorph as a Adaptive Species one which can EVOLVE to its Environment and the AGENDA seems to be Simplistic.... SURVIVAL/PROCREATION. 

And so i think IF the Xenomorph would Evolve it would Evolve to more SIMPLE METHOD than to make it more Complex.  So say coming up with a Prince/King that then MATES with the Queen to Produce some NEW kind of Xenomorph i dont think would be WISE (thats me not saying your Suggesting this though).

If they go for say a Prince/King then i think the ONLY thing they should Impregnate is the Hosts Directly (like the Pred-Alien) or Egg Morph.

Another thing about Evolving the Procreation, would be that IF we saw a Egg Morph then maybe the EGG MORPH would Contain a Chest Buster, because having say a Large Egg Created that Contains a Face Hugger does make the Process become Complex a little...... when looking at a Evolution of the Agenda to Procreate/Survive....  i would like to see a Egg Morph where it Hatches/Opens to Reveal a 2-3ft Xenomorph that can Grow..... so it BY-PASSES the Need to Face Hug another HOST.

But i know this is something that some Fans would NOT want to see as the Face Hugging and Chest Bursting Scenes are some of the Most Terrifying and Horrific and ICONIC Scenes... but they are something we have seen OVER and OVER.

I think RS was going to look at Exploring the Egg Morph, i do-not think he would have Introduced us to a Traditional James Cameron Queen had RS got to Finish his Prequels... it seems RS saw the Queen as a Evolution.

I suspect that DISNEY would Continue with the Queen => Eggs route, and that a Face Hugger is  the STARTING Process to ALL the Xenomorphs. Which to be Fair when we see ALIEN 3 then we have to Conclude that the Queen was Implanted into Ripley by NO OTHER MEANS but a Face Hugger.  We do have the Deleted Royal Face Hugger Scene.

The Egg Morph does look a bit Strange as well in ALIEN the Egg looked Much Larger than those on the Derelict..... i would ONLY go and Assume these Egg Morphs would SHRINK in Size, before the Face Hugger is Fully Developed.

So MAYBE if we ever get to see a Egg Morph they can take this Concept but make the END PRODUCT something Different?

Regarding the Praetorians then i can see they are Based off the Roman Body Guards where the BEST OF THE BEST are Chosen...  so the Idea of a more Powerful/Resilient Xenomorph as a Guardian to the Queens kinda make some sense....  But i feel the Warriors are more than Adequate.

I think there is STILL a lot to Speculate as FAR as to HOW do we get a Queen, and what PREVENTS there being more than ONE of them..... or do we Accept they are a Species where you can have Multiple Queens in a Single Hive that work together?

I think the Idea of Procession to the Throne is Different in the Insect World than in the Human World..... and i guess within Context to ALIEN and Sci-Fi then if you Explored say the Praetorians that can MOLT to a Queen, i guess you could do that.... you have to think HOW/WHEN would this Happen... if a Queen Dies and there are 3 Praetorians then WHAT DETERMINES which becomes the Next Queen?

Or do you only look at their ROLE as just the Personnel Body-Guard of a Queen?

" if a Queen Dies and there are 3 Praetorians then WHAT DETERMINES which becomes the Next Queen?"

1. They would either fight each other to the death become the new queen.

2. The strongest/victor releases a chemical to make the weaker praetorians submit.

3. They all become queens but the most dominate Queen molts into an Empress like in AVP2

I think we have to look at it more SIMPLE....

IF there are to be Praetorians that Guard a Queen/Hive then it would make SENSE if the Queen releases Pheromones that prevents other Xenomorphs from MOLTING to a Queen.  The Queen should have a SINGLE TASK.... to STAY HOME and Produce Eggs.  (But if her Hive is Destroyed or looks in Danger then SHE if we should call her that... so the Queen should then MOVE to another Location looking to Procreate Again).

If the Queen is AWAY for whatever Reason (say Captured) or is Killed/Dies, then after a Few Days of NOT having any Pheromones near the Hive then the Praetorians would then Begin to MOLT into a Queen.

Is there a way where a Praetorian would be able to Determine who becomes the NEXT QUEEN in any other Physiological Way?  Or are they CLOSER to the Animal Kingdom......  

What would PREVENT say 3-4 Praetorians from becoming a Queen?

Can these Queens then Co-Exist?  Do they FIGHT and the Winner becomes the Queen?

Or would some LEAVE the Hive to begin a NEW HIVE somewhere else?

Looking at a Praetorian in this Context would seem Logical and so in Context to my Reply then YES.... having a Praetorian as a NOT MATURE QUEEN, who are Prevented from becoming a Queen of a HIVE via a Pre-existing Queens Pheromones or something would MAKE SENSE.

Well yeah, all those are good points.